And the Winner Is
by cncgrad02
Summary: How does Gabriella find out that she won the honor of valedictorian? How does she break the news to everyone? Gabi and Taylor in chapter 1, Gabi and family in chapter 2.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, all! This is something I've had running through my mind for awhile now. We know in HSM3 that Gabriella is the valedictoian at graduation. the question I've had is: how exactly did she hear the news? How did Taylor handle the news? How did she tell her mom? This will be a 2-shot, but fear not! "Time Out" is not finished! I just had to take a time out of my own to get this one out of my brain and now that I have, I'll be able to focus on it again and will be returning to it soon! I hope yall enjoy!_

_**And The Winner Is…**_

Another day of boring, dreary teachers droning on and on about mindless information that was supposed to be important. As Troy, Chad, and Jason all sat in their American Government class struggling to stay awake so as not to be busted and called out in front of the whole class yet again by Mr. Brown, Gabriella and Taylor sat on the other side of the room, busily taking the notes that they knew their boyfriends would somehow convince the to girls to let them borrow. The routine of the day had become very mundane, and the group of Wildcats had been overcome with a massive case of senioritis and were anxiously counting down the days until graduation. Only thirty days of school left…

This particular Wednesday had started off the same as any other. They sat in homeroom, listening to Ms. Darbus as she gave the morning announcements along with a few changes to the rehearsals which were scheduled for the week for the Senior musical. When the bell rang, Taylor and Gabriella separated from their boyfriends as the girls headed to their Advanced Placement Calculus class and the guys to American History. The separation would last through the first three classes, as the four of them plus Jason would join back up again during fourth period for American Government, during which they all knew the boys would fall asleep and the girls would reluctantly be required to carry the weight for the group of five and make sure their basketball playing friends would pass the class and graduate.

Just as Mr. Brown was in a deep lecture about the inner workings of the judicial system and the three branches of government, the intercom system buzzed, signaling an incoming announcement.

"Excuse me, Mr. Brown?" The voice of Mrs. Wilson, the guidance secretary, came through the intercom system, interrupting what the guys referred to as "Mr. Brown's snore fest".

"Yes?"

"Do you have Taylor McKessie and Gabriella Montez in class right now?" At the mention of the names of Mr. Brown's prize students, the heads of every student in the classroom snapped around to look at the two girls. The two turned to look at each other with questioning looks on both of their faces.

"Yes, I do."

"Would you please send them to the guidance office? Ms. Duffy would like to speak with them."

Gabriella and Taylor each gathered up their belongings and started to make their way to the door of the classroom, stopping at Mr. Brown's desk to get a hall pass. As he handed them the small pick slip, he looked at the back corner where the school's basketball captain and two of his team mates were sitting with their heads leaning on their hands- he wasn't oblivious to the arrangement that the boys had made with their girlfriends when it came to his class and didn't mind as long as they passed and was still able to tease the boys daily about it- and brought them back to life with his next announcement.

"I guess this means you boys have to actually stay awake and take your own notes today. Our two future lawyers of America will not be here to pick up the slack for you three." As the rest of the class broke into laughter, the two girls sent over exaggerated looks of sympathy to the boys.

"And make sure they're good notes, too, guys," Taylor said loud enough for the rest of the class to hear.

"Yeah, we'll be coping _your _notes tonight!" Gabriella said, as the class laughed once again. Troy just shook his head in the direction of his girlfriend in response and she winked back at him and smiled as Taylor led her out the door.

"Come on, Flirty, let's go. Ms. Duffy is waiting for us."

As the two girls walked down the hall, the speculations of why they had been called to the guidance office began between the two.

"It can't be regarding our college choices. We turned those in three months ago!" Taylor said.

"Maybe she wants to talk to us about the Senior College Survival Night," Gabriella suggested. One of the duties of the president of the senior class was to organize the annual College Survival Night- a night with information from former East High students on the dos and don'ts of surviving the freshman year- and Taylor as president had enlisted the help of Gabriella. The two girls had held many meetings with Ms. Duffy- the senior class guidance counselor- and had the feeling that this was just another of those meetings.

"Could be, but man I hope not! I'm just ready for next week so this stupid survival night whatever is over!" Taylor complained. As they walked the rest of the way to the guidance office, the conversation turned to something a little more personal. Something that Gabriella was a little too uncomfortable talking about at this point in time.

"So, have you told him yet?" Taylor asked.

"Told who what?"

"Gabriella, you know what I'm talking about," Taylor gently chastised the brunette. "Have you told Troy about the honor's program? You've known for almost a month now and you have to be there in a week and a half!" Taylor pointed out. She stopped walking as the thought dawned on her. "You haven't told him?" she practically shouted.

"Ssshhh! Taylor!" Gabriella reprimanded her best friend, giving a quick look around the empty hallway to make sure that no one was lurking around a corner or sifting through their locker and possibly overheard. As uncomfortable as it still sometimes made her, Gabriella had quickly become one of the most popular girls at East High and she knew it was purely because of her relationship with Troy. If someone overheard her and Taylor talking about the honor's program and her impending early departure, they would surely rush back and tell someone. Before too long, Troy would know her news and it wouldn't be because she was the one to tell him. That was not a confrontation that she was ready to endure.

"No, I've not told him yet. Yes, I plan on doing so this weekend when we go out. And please keep your voice down!"

"I'm sorry, I forgot that you don't want anyone to know until you tell him. However, please forgive me for pointing this out, but Sweetie, you have to be there a week from this coming Monday. How is he going to take the fact that you've known this incredible news for as long as you have and you didn't tell him until just barely over a week before your report date?"

"Oh, hey, look! The door to the guidance office. Here's an idea, Taylor. Why don't we go in and find out why Ms. Duffy wants to talk to us?"

"Fine, I'll drop it for now. But I'm on to you, Montez!" Taylor reminded her, pointing a finger in her friend's face as she walked through the door that Gabriella had opened for them.

As they walked in, they were greeted by an oddly overly- exuberant Mrs. Wilson, the guidance secretary who had started at East High the previous year. She was young and had recently married. The two girls got to know her fairly well since they were well known within the guidance department due to their good grades and acceptance to Yale and Stanford and had made many visits with Ms. Duffy.

"Hello, girls!"

"Hey, Mrs. Wilson. Ms. Duffy wanted to see us?" Taylor asked on behalf of the pair.

"She does! Why don't you two have a seat and I'll let her know you're here?" she said as she stood and walked down the hall. When she was out of earshot, Taylor turned to face Gabriella.

"Okay, is it just me, or she just a tad too overly excited for some reason today? I mean, yeah, she's always in a good mood, but this? For her to be this wound up is just odd." Taylor asked.

"Maybe she and Mr. Wilson celebrated just a bit too much last night," Gabriella suggested.

"Gabriella Montez! I'm shocked!" Taylor exclaimed.

"What?" Gabriella asked innocently.

"That's just not something I would have expected to hear from you! Me saying that, okay, yeah. But you? I'm impressed."

The girls were interrupted mid giggles by Mrs. Wilson reappearing. "Ms. Duffy's ready for you girls."

"Hey, Mrs. Wilson? We have a question for you," Taylor asked her as the two stood up and picked up their bags.

"Yeah, Taylor, what can I do for you?"

"Why are you in such a good mood today?" Taylor asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Taylor!" Gabriella spoke up, smacking her friend on the arm and coming to the rescue of the young secretary. "Mrs. Wilson, I apologize for Taylor's lack of subtlety."

"It's okay, Gabriella. I'm just so excited for you two!" Mrs. Wilson told them. The two friends exchanged a confused look before continuing.

"Excited for us? Why, what did we do?" Gabriella questioned.

"You'll see!" she told them as she knocked on the door and pushed it further open. "Ms. Duffy? Here they are," she announced before stepping aside to let Gabriella and Taylor walk in the room.

"Good morning, girls. Come on in and have a seat," Ms. Duffy greeted them as she grabbed two sheets of paper off the top of a stack sitting on the corner of her desk. "Do you two know why I've called you in this morning?"

"No ma'am. We don't have a clue," Taylor answered.

"Well, I'm going to give you two something and I want you to look at them closely." Ms. Duffy handed the two friends each a sheet of paper. As they looked at the papers, the girls noticed that it had their names, address, grade, homeroom teacher, and student identification numbers on the top left corner and all of the classes they had taken with the grades received. They looked at each other, confused, before looking back at their transcripts. Gabriella spoke up first.

"Um, Ms Duffy? I'm a little confused. May I ask why we're looking at our transcripts?"

"Gabriella, I want you girls to look at your transcripts and notice the grade point average you've each received. You'll find it at the bottom right, underneath all your class grades. Taylor, what's your GPA?"

"I've got a 4.068," she said, looking up, still confused.

"And Gabriella, what does your's say?"

"Um, my GPA is a 4.068, too," she said as she skimmed the bottom of the paper to find the number she was looking for.

"Normally, if the two highest students in the senior class have the same grade point average, we then look at their overall average from all of their classes for all four years. This type of meeting would have been held about two weeks prior to now, but Gabriella, we had to wait on all of the official transcripts from your other schools. We have copies of them all, but we needed the official ones for this," Ms. Duffy continued. "That number is found right above your GPA. Taylor, what's your paper say?"

"It says that my overall average is a 98.9866," Taylor read out loud.

"And Gabriella?" Ms. Duffy prompted.

"Mine is a 98.9876." There was a moment of silence between the three in the small office. Ms. Duffy had yet to tell the two seniors exactly why she had called them into her office and Taylor and Gabriella were quickly getting more confused. "Um, Ms. Duffy, what does this mean?" Gabriella asked.

"I think I know," Taylor said. "Ms. Duffy, does this mean that…?" Taylor let her voice trail off as she looked at the middle aged woman. Ms. Duffy gave a smile and a small nod before confirming what Taylor suspected.

"Congratulations, girls. The two of you are numbers one and two in the graduating class, which means that you are the salutatorian and the valedictorian of the graduating class of 2008." Taylor and Gabriella sat in a stunned, confused silence simply looking at Ms. Duffy across the desk. Suddenly, Gabriella came to life and took Taylor's paper out of her hands, studying it carefully.

"There's no way!" she exclaimed. "How can this be? Taylor's worked hard for this! This is all she's wanted, to be valedictorian! Ms. Duffy, there must be some mistake!"

"Gabriella, sweetie, there is no mistake. Every counselor in this office has looked over these number five times each. We even had Ms. King and Mr. Gibson in the Math department look over them, too, to make sure we didn't miss anything."

The two girls sat in silence once again, each just looking at the transcripts in their hands. Gabriella's eyes were starting to water, but she fought hard to hold the tears in. She had done it. She had taken away the one thing that Taylor wanted so badly, and she wasn't even aware of it. How would she ever be able to make this up to her? Just as those thoughts were running through her mind and she was overcome with disappointment in hurting her best friend, she felt Taylor throw her arms around her neck.

"Girl, you deserve this. You apparently worked just that much harder than I did and you deserve this. Gabriella, I'm okay with the way this has turned out. I'm so excited for you. Be happy about this, please? For me?"

At the sound of her friend's voice, Gabriella looked up from the transcript that she was gripping tightly in her hands, and saw Taylor crouching down beside her chair. Taylor had set her own transcript on top of her bag and her free hands were now wrapped tightly around Gabriella's neck. Gabriella looked at Taylor's face and saw the look of pride in her eyes.

"Taylor, how can you be okay with this? This is all you've ever wanted."

"No, all I've ever wanted is to be successful in all I do. Being salutatorian or valedictorian doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that my best friend and I are graduating together- provided you come back from your Honor's Program for graduation- and we're both going to absolutely amazing schools and will be absolutely amazing lawyers one day. That's all I care about." As Ms. Duffy sat there watching the exchange between East High's two best students, she couldn't help but smile. The mood in the guidance office was interrupted by the bell ringing, signaling the start of lunch. Gabriella stood up and grabbed her bag, turning toward the door of the office.

"Thank you, Ms. Duffy," she said quietly as she opened the door.

"You're welcome, girls. I'll see you soon." The girls walked back into the now crowded hallway and made their way in silence to the cafeteria where they would meet the other eight people from their circle of friends. Taylor immediately spotted the rest of the group and rushed over to the table where they were sitting. Jason was the first of the group to notice them approaching.

"Don't ever do that to us again!" he cried, startling everyone else at the table in the process. His outburst caused Troy- who was leaning down to get a book out of his backpack, which was resting on the floor next to him- to hit his head on the table.

"Dude, what the hell?" Troy exclaimed as he sat up, rubbing his head. It was then that he noticed Gabriella and Taylor standing next to the table. He looked up and noticed the far away look on his girlfriend's face.

"Jason, what are you talking about? Don't ever do what?" Taylor questioned.

"Don't leave us in that class, with that man, alone, ever again!"

"It's not like we had a choice, Jason. Chill out. You survived, didn't you?" Taylor said.

"Well-"

"Yes, we survived. Jason is just exaggerating," Troy told her, not taking his eyes off Gabriella through the whole exchange. She hadn't said a word since the girls arrived. She wouldn't take her eyes off the piece of paper that she held in her hands and he was starting to get concerned. "Hey," he started, taking one of her hands in one of his.

"Huh?" she looked up finally, startled.

"Are you okay?" he tried again. "What happened with Ms. Duffy?"

"We have got the best news!" Taylor anxiously told the group.

"Taylor, please, not here-" Gabriella asked Taylor softly, but Taylor quickly rushed on, eager to share the news.

"Gabriella's the valedictorian and I'm salutatorian!" she excitedly announced. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the whole table erupted with congratulations and hugs for both girls. All except Troy, who kept his eyes on Gabriella's face. He could tell that she wasn't exactly thrilled about this news, but he wasn't sure why. During all the attention she was receiving, it seemed to Troy that Gabriella was just retreating deeper and deeper into the shell that she had worked hard to discard over a year ago. Finally, she picked up her bag which she had laid on the table, put her transcript safely inside, and spoke for the first time since coming into the cafeteria.

"Guys, if you'll excuse me, I've got something to take care of. I'll see you all later." Leaving her Wildcat friends staring after her, she turned around and walked away from the table and straight out the door of the cafeteria and into the hall, disappearing from view of the rest of the group.

"What's wrong with her?" Chad asked.

"Taylor, I have a feeling you know what's wrong with her, so I'll leave you to fill them in and I'll go find Gabriella and try and talk to her. I'll catch up with you guys after a while," Troy told the group as he gathered up his lunch trash and walked toward the same door that Gabriella walked through just moments before. He didn't have to think twice about where she may have gone. Troy knew exactly where she was and didn't hesitate to go there himself. As he maneuvered his way through the hallway and found the door that hid the set of stairs that he knew without a doubt his girlfriend of fifteen months had taken just moments before him, his mind began to wander.

_I have a feeling I know what's bothering her, but what am I going to say?_ he wondered. He didn't have long to ponder those thoughts as he reached to push open the door. He began the climb the cement steps and turned the corner at the top, pausing when he saw Gabriella standing just a few yards in front of him. She had her back to where he was standing and was facing the mountains in the distance, with her hands resting on the railings on either side of her. He silently approached her from behind and placed his hands on top of hers.

"Congratulations," he whispered, before placing a kiss on the shell of her ear.

Gabriella gave out a soft sigh before answering. "Thank you, I guess."

"What's going on in that head of your's? Why aren't you excited about this? I mean, this is amazing news. You deserve to be bouncing off the walls and driving everyone crazy," he joked as he wrapped his arms across her front. Gabriella reveled in the feel of her boyfriend's arms around her for a moment before speaking again.

"I don't know, Troy. I- I guess I just feel like I'm stepping on Taylor's toes or something. I mean, she's spent her whole life working towards being valedictorian and I'm taking it from her? What kind of friend am I?" Gabriella stated as she pulled away from Troy's arms and went to sit on the bench just feet away from where they were standing.

"The kind of friend that just happened to get one point higher on a test at some point in time. Gabriella, you haven't done anything wrong. You've worked just as hard as Taylor and you deserve this just as much. She seems to be okay and excited about the way things have happened. I think she'll survive, Babe." Troy took the few necessary steps to the bench and knelt down in front of Gabriella, taking both of her hands in one of his as he reached up with his other hand and brushed a dark, ebony curl out of her eyes and behind her ear.

"All my life- well, for the past almost nine years anyway- all I've wanted is to go to Stanford. I never wanted to be valedictorian. I've got Stanford, that's all I needed."

"Can I ask you something?" Troy asked, standing and moving to sit next to her on the bench. When she turned so they could face each other, she nodded and he continued. "Why Stanford? Wait, let me rephrase that. I don't mean 'Why Stanford'. I mean 'Why _Stanford_'? I mean, out of all of the other really great Ivy League schools- Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown- that you can have your choice of, why Stanford?"

Gabriella sighed and gave a soft smile before saying the one word that the two of them seldom talk about. "Daddy." Seeing the somewhat confused look on her boyfriend's face, she continued. "My dad went to Stanford. When he died when I was nine, I promised myself that someday, I would, too. When my eleventh birthday was approaching, Mom asked me what I wanted to do and I told her I wanted to go to San Francisco and visit Stanford. So we did. Here I was, eleven years old, visiting a school that I knew I would someday be attending. And that's all I've ever worked for. None of the other extra stuff is important to me. Not as long as I've got Stanford and Daddy."

Troy gave a soft smile as she finished her story. "I wish I could have met him."

"No, you don't," Gabriella said, shaking her head. When Troy looked confused, she smiled and continued. "You wouldn't have made it past the first date!"

"Well, then I guess it is a good thing after all that I've only had to deal with Maria! I don't know if I could handle Roberto, too!" he joked. "Hey, tonight, I'm taking you out and we're going to celebrate, Ms. Valedictorian. What do you say?"

"I don't know, Troy. I might have to take a rain check on our private celebration. Once Mom hears this about this, she'll be on the phone with your mom and the two of them will be making their own plans for a celebratory dinner tonight. And you know she'll insist on making her enchiladas."

"And brownies?" Troy asked, his blue eyes glimmering with hope.

"If you and Coach are there, then she'll have to make two batches." The two of them shared a laugh, and Troy placed a hand on her cheek.

"You okay now?" he asked lovingly.

She leaned into his hand before reaching her own hand up to rest on the back of his neck and pulled him forward, giving him a soft kiss on his lips. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for making me talk."

"You're welcome," he answered after giving her another brief kiss. "What do you say we go find Taylor and the rest of the gang?" Gabriella nodded and picked up her bag, reaching out her hand for his. Troy took her invitation and connected their hands as they made their way back downstairs. When they reached the top step, Gabriella pulled away.

"Just a second," she told him, holding a finger up. Troy watched as she went back to the railing where they were standing just moments before and looked up at the sky. What he witnessed next brought a lump to his throat and almost made his eyes water. It was the first time he'd seen his girlfriend make such an acknowledgement.

"Thank you, Daddy. This is for you." She then turned and walked back to Troy and connected their hands once more. He pulled their hands up and placed a gentle kiss on top of her knuckles before leading the way down the steps and began the search for their friends.


	2. Chapter 2

_I had to much fun writing this story! I'm sad to see it end, but at the same time am glad because now I can focus on "Time Out" again. Thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far. I hope you like this part of it, too! A lot of family fluff involved, not to mention an addition by adcgordon ("Brownie Points"). If you know what's good for you, you'll check that one out, too! ;-D Enjoy!_

_**Chapter 2**_

After their private moment on the rooftop, Troy and Gabriella made their way back down the steps and through the double doors into the hallway. They made their way back to the cafeteria and it didn't take long before they found the rest of their friends, minus Sharpay and Zeke.

"Hey, guys," Gabriella spoke up. "Where did Sharpay and Zeke disappear to?"

"Sharpay went to the theatre to practice her number for the Spring musical," Ryan told her, and Kelsi finished his thought.

"And her loyal puppy dog followed." The rest of the group laughed at that little bit of truth. Zeke had become like a lost little puppy dog, following Sharpay around everywhere she went. Not that she minded, of course. Any form of attention shown to Sharpay was always welcomed attention in her book.

"Well, we can do without him. He's just whipped," Troy said, receiving looks and smirks from everyone else at the table. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing, dude. Just let it go," Chad told him, before turning his attention to Gabriella. "Gabs, are you okay?"

Gabriella took a deep breath before speaking. "Yeah, guys. I'm fine. I'm sorry for running out like that earlier. I guess I just need to process everything."

"Hey, it's not problem. I'd need to process something like that, too," Chad said.

"Well, Chad, I think the whole school would have a lot to process if _you_ were announced to be valedictorian," Taylor told him. The rest of the group laughed again, Jason throwing his napkin at Chad, and Chad just shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm graduating at least, aren't I? That in itself is an achievement, if I do say so myself," he said, while puffing his chest out in mock arrogance.

"Amen, brother!" Jason said, sharing a fist pump with Troy and Chad, while Taylor and Gabriella just rolled their eyes.

"Boys…" Martha said, causing another round of chuckles. "Hey, Gabriella, congratulations. I'm really happy for you. You and Taylor deserve this."

"Thank you, Martha," Gabriella said, leaning down to give her dancer friend a hug. "Hey, Taylor?"

"Yeah?" she said.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I guess I was just shocked and needed to let it all sink in." Sensing the mood was about to get serious between the two best friends, Martha, Jason, Ryan, and Kelsi turned back and began their own conversation, while Chad and Troy observed their girlfriends.

"It's okay. I'm actually not surprised about the way things turned out. Do you remember that day first semester when I came to school sick and went home after Calculus? The only reason I came was because of the test we had that day?"

"I think so," Gabriella said slowly, squinting her eyes in concentration as she racked her brain, trying to think back to that day the previous October. Finally, the light bulb went off, her eyes widening with realization as she remembered the day that Taylor was referring to. "Yeah, I do."

"I think that was what did it for me. You'd made a 97 on that test and I got a 96 because I was feeling like trash and couldn't concentrate. I got one more wrong than you did."

"I remember that now! Oh, Tay-" Gabriella started.

"Don't!" she said, holding her hand up to stop the sympathy, before taking Gabriella's hands in her own. "I've actually been mentally preparing myself for this news, so I guess that's why I was able to take it as well as I did. Congratulations, Montez. You've worked hard for this, so eat it up!"

"Thank you," Gabriella said with a small smile. "And congratulations to you, too! This is amazing for us, isn't it?" she asked, giving Taylor's hands a squeeze.

Taylor nodded, as the two girls leaned in to each other and gave each other a tight hug while their boyfriends watched.

"Hey, what if the four of us all go out tonight to celebrate? I know it's a school night- not that it matters to me, of course- but I think once our parents hear about this, they won't mind us all at least going to dinner tonight. What do you guys think?" Chad asked the other three.

"I think that would be a great idea, but Troy and I may need a rain check. As soon as I tell my mom, she'll be on the phone with Troy's mom and they'll be setting up a celebration dinner of their own tonight," Gabriella told her afro haired friend.

"What about this weekend?" Troy suggested, but the plan making session was cut short by the bell. "Actually, I guess we'll talk about it later. We'll see you two with Darbus?"

"Yeah, we'll see you later," Taylor said. The two couples said their temporary good-byes with a kiss and separated to go to their next two classes before meeting up again in Drama with Ms. Darbus.

As the final bell rang, all the students quickly ran in their own directions to their lockers, gathering their books that would be needed for that evening. Troy and Gabriella and Chad and Taylor all headed in the same direction, stopping at the boys' lockers on the hall that housed the lockers for the majority of the athletes. Because of this, that particular hallway was always crowded, loud, and smelled like body odor. The boys were well aware of the girls' dislike of being on that particular mood, so they always made their locker stops brief when their girlfriends were with them. Once they completed the required stop, the group continued on the path that led to the girls' lockers. The books were gathered and the goodbyes were said, and the two couples separated- Troy and Gabriella going in the direction of his truck while Chad and Taylor headed toward the Student Council room so she could talk to the advisor before leaving for the day.

"So are you sure you want to find out if Zeus is able to meet your travel needs today?" Troy asked.

"Zeus?" the petite brunette questioned.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I had to come up with some kind of strong, masculine name for my truck." Upon receiving a mocking glare from his girlfriend, Troy let out a chuckle and released her hand, draping his arm across her shoulder and pulling her closer to his side. "So did you talk to your mom yet?" he asked, changing the subject.

"No, actually, I haven't yet. She told me this morning that she'll be getting off early, so she should be home when we get there." The two seniors climbed into the old, rickety, white truck that was handed down to Troy from his father over the summer and continued their conversation on the way to the Montez residence. As Troy pulled his prized vehicle into the driveway, they noticed Maria's car there already. Troy cut the engine and got out of the truck and walked around to open the door for Gabriella, offering her his hand in assistance. She accepted his hand and climbed out as well, and the young couple made their way to the front door. Gabriella pulled out her door key and unlocked it. As the stepped into the foyer, they stepped out of their shoes and made their way into the kitchen, where they found Maria standing at the counter in front of the Kitchen Aide mixer.

"Hey, Mom," Gabriella greeted, walking over to place a kiss on her mom's cheek.

"Hey, Sweetie. Hey, Troy," she greeted in response.

"Hey, Ms. Montez," Troy responded, walking over to Maria Montez with the impression of giving Gabriella's mom a hug, only to fake her out while attempting to dip his finger into the chocolate batter. "Do I even have to ask what you're making?"

"I knew you were coming," Maria Montez told her daughter's boyfriend, giving him a pointed look and playfully slapping his hand away from the mixing bowl, before turning to her daughter. "Don't worry. I'll be making another batch after this one." The three shared a laugh, while Troy gave Maria a true hug and she turned to face Gabriella.

"I got an interesting call about mid-morning."

"Really?" Gabriella questioned, confusion clear in her facial features. "From whom?"

"From Jack."

"Why did my dad call you?" Troy asked.

"He called to tell me that you would have some news for me and that the five of us may need to get together to celebrate tonight."

"He already told you?" Gabriella asked in disbelief. "Why would he tell you and not let me? I mean, it is my news!"

"Sweetie, calm down. He didn't tell me what the news is. Just that you had some." She couldn't help but take notice as Gabriella visibly relaxed. "Care to share?"

Gabriella looked at Troy who gave her a small nod and a smile in encouragement before helping himself to the beaters from the mixer which Maria had just turned off. She gave him a smile in return before turning to face her mom.

"Um, Mom, Taylor and I were called to Ms. Duffy's office today and she had some news for the two of us."

Taking advantage of her daughter's pause, Maria pushed forward. "Well? What kind of news?"

Gabriella took a deep breath before continuing. "Taylor and I were named salutatorian and valedictorian." She took her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched her mom's reaction.

"Mija!" Maria said with a gasp, crossing to the room and taking her daughter in her arms, giving her a tight hug. "Felicitaciones! That is amazing news!"

"That's what I told her," Troy spoke up, taking his attention from the chocolate covered beaters for a brief second.

"Thank you, Mom, but you don't even know which one of us got what."

"It doesn't matter. Both are equally important," Maria said, brushing her daughter's hair from her face. Her hand stilled as the curiosity got the better of her. "Which one are you?"

"Mom, I thought it didn't matter?" Gabriella reminded her mom, placing a hand on her hip.

"It doesn't, but I want to know."

"Well, you're going to have to wait to find out. Have you called-"

"They'll be here at 6:30 for dinner," Maria interrupted Gabriella. "Enchiladas?"

"Yes, please," Troy interrupted the women, putting the first of the two beaters in the sink, receiving a look from both women. "What?"

"You're a teenage boy. It shouldn't surprise me that you're a bottomless pit," Maria told him. The three chuckled before she continued. "You two go watch a movie. I'll get dinner started."

"But the other beater-" Troy said, reaching toward the electric mixer.

"Will still be here. I won't wash it yet," Maria promised him as she put her hands on his shoulders and turned him in the direction of the living room.

"And the bowl?" he asked with a small whine in his voice, like a ten year old, as he looked at it longingly over his shoulder.

"Go, before I do wash them both and you won't get either one!" Maria reprimanded her daughter's boyfriend, causing Gabriella to giggle at Troy's antics.

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled, allowing Gabriella to lead him into the living room. Maria noticed a speck of brown resting on the corner of his mouth and called him back, causing the two to pause in the doorway.

"Troy?"

"Yes?" he said.

"You've got-" she started as she began to instinctively wipe the corners of her mouth trying to suggest subliminally to Troy to wipe his own. She stopped mid-sentence and when Gabriella noticed Maria beginning to pull a paper towel from the roll on the cabinet she quickly jumped from her seat, stepped to her mom and took it out of her hands.

"I…I'll take that." Gabriella said hesitantly, with a slight blush and small smile, as she intertwined her fingers together with Troy's. Maria eyed her daughter carefully, as if trying to read the thoughts that were running through her teenage daughter's mind.

"Just remember I _am_ here." Maria specifically spoke to her daughter.

When the teenagers reached the living room, Troy tried to pull away from Gabriella's grasp, only to be pulled back. She spun him around so he was facing her and without warning, stretched herself up to stand on her tiptoes and reached her arms up around his neck, pulling him down to meet her lips in a soft kiss, careful to make sure she let her tongue sweep over the corner of his mouth, where the spot of chocolate was. When she heard Troy groan into the kiss, she took it upon herself to deepen the kiss. After letting their lips dance a dance that had become oh so familiar to them for a moment, Troy reluctantly pulled away, with the knowledge that Maria was just in the other room on the forefront of his mind.

"Wow," he breathed with his forehead resting against hers. "Wh- what was that for?" he asked, still trying to catch his breath as Gabriella played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Just for being you," Gabriella answered innocently with a shrug. She released Troy from her tender hold and allowed him to move to the entertainment center, which housed the movie library. The two of them finally decided on one of Gabriella's favorites- _How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-_, turned on the dvd player, and settled onto the couch. It wasn't long before the smell of Maria's enchiladas filled the entire house, causing Troy's stomach to let out a low rumble.

"You really are a bottomless pit, aren't you, Wildcat?" Troy just glared at his girlfriend, causing her to pout. He leaned in to kiss away her cute pout and she had an idea. "Do you want some popcorn?" When he eagerly nodded, she stood up, stretched, and made her way into the kitchen. Walking into the kitchen, she saw her mom, busily stuffing the enchiladas.

"So, does Troy know about the Honor's Program?" Maria spoke up when she noticed Gabriella reaching into the pantry to get out a bag of popcorn.

"Ssshhh! Mom!" Gabriella was quick to shush her mom as she glanced around to see if Troy was lurking somewhere within earshot. When she saw that the coast was clear, she continued. "No, he doesn't. I'm planning on telling him this weekend. Myself," she clarified, as she shut the door to the microwave and pressed the button to start the cooking process.

"So then I guess that means that I shouldn't say anything about it tonight?"

Gabriella reached in the cabinet above her head and pulled out two glasses and then got a can of Cherry Coke out of the refrigerator. "Please don't say anything about the Honor's Program, Mom. I need to be the one to tell him something this big."

"Okay. I won't say anything tonight," Maria agreed. "But can I just ask why you haven't told him?"

Gabriella sighed as she thought about her answer. "I don't know, Mom. I guess I'm just afraid to tell him."

"Why's that, Sweetie?"

"I just don't want things to change. I want everything to stay the same and I know that if I tell him, that won't be the case. I'm just not ready."

"But you need to tell him," Maria clarified.

"I know, Mom. Like I said, I'm telling him this weekend. Please, Mom? Please don't say anything tonight?" she begged.

"I promise," Maria told her.

"Thank you," Gabriella told her as she picked up the bowl of popcorn, blue drinking glasses, and can of soda and took them back into the living room and sat back down on the couch, only to find that Troy had paused the movie. As she was setting the stuff down on the coffee table, she heard the toilet flush and the water from the sink running in the bathroom. After a moment, she heard his voice in the kitchen with Maria. She started to go into the kitchen to see what they were up to when she heard her mom's voice, causing her to stop in the doorway.

"So, Troy, I see that Gabriella told you about the chocolate you had on your mouth from licking the beater. I was afraid she was going to play a joke on you."

"Um… uh, yeah. Yeah, she told me," he stammered. "It was actually pretty embarrassing, but she told me."

As he turned to leave the kitchen, he spotted Gabriella leaning against the wall in the hallway. As he passed her, he crocked his finger signaling for her to follow him into the living room. She pushed herself off the wall and followed him. When the two of them were in the other room once again, it was Troy's turn to pull her into his embrace.

"Just for being me?" he questioned. "I knew that sounded too suspicious to be true. You're a sneaky, sexy, valedictorian who may just be too smart for her own good, Montez. Those little tricks come back to get you sometimes," he joked.

Letting his words sink in, Gabriella began to think of Stanford and the Honors Program and the secret she was with holding, trying not to let her demeanor change so to not alert Troy of anything out of the ordinary. "That's what I'm hoping for," she told him with a sexy smirk on her face. He leaned in to give her another kiss, but the pair was interrupted by the doorbell.

Gabriella pulled away from Troy's arms and went to open the door and greeted Jack and Lucille Bolton with hugs while Troy carried their untouched popcorn into the kitchen. As the trio walked into the kitchen to join Maria and Troy, Lucille stopped in her tracks, causing her husband to bump into her from behind.

"Luce, what's the-" He stopped talking when Lucille held her hand up to silence him.

"Do you see that?" she asked, not even trying to hide her surprise.

"What?" he questioned.

"Our son is actually helping in the kitchen!"

"Hey!" Troy exclaimed, turning to face his parents who were still standing in the doorway.

"Troy is always a gentleman when he comes over, offering to help whenever he can," Maria told the elder Bolton's, quickly coming to the young man's defense.

"Yeah, unless Mom's making brownies!" Gabriella interjected with her own teasing remark about her boyfriend.

"You made brownies?" Jack asked, excitedly, only to be met by laughter from everyone surrounding him.

The group of five interacted for several more minutes with Gabriella and Lucille setting the table while Troy and Jack hounded Maria about the brownies. Finally, Maria announced that dinner was ready and everyone sat down, except for Troy and Gabriella.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear. "I want to pick on Dad, but I need help. Can you get me a dictionary?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back." She disappeared into her Mom's downstairs office and came back seconds later, handing Troy a thick red book. The two of them sat down on one side of the table next to each other, opposite Jack and Lucille, with Maria at the head of the table. After everyone had filled their plates, Jack spoke up first.

"Well, Gabriella, we're here for you, to celebrate you. Unfortunately, none of us know the real reason- although I'm thinking Troy knows the whole story. Are you ready to tell?"

"I am," Gabriella said, taking a deep breath and preparing herself. "Um, Taylor and I were called to Ms. Duffy's office today and we were told that she and I are the salutatorian and valedictorian for the class of 2008!"

"Oh, Honey, that's incredible! Congratulations!" Lucille gushed to her son's girlfriend.

"That's great, Gabriella! Which one of you got what?" Jack asked.

"Taylor is the salutatorian, which means-"

"Which means Gabriella's the valedictorian!" Troy exclaimed, with the pride evident in his voice.

The three adults gathered around Gabriella giving her tight hugs. Troy just sat back and watched, letting his girlfriend have her moment of glory. When the excitement in the dining room died down, Troy took his moment to speak.

"Hey, Dad? I bet you don't even know what a valedictorian is, do you?"

His son's accusation caused the basketball coach to pause with his fork full of food halfway to his mouth and just stare at his son in disbelief. He looked at each of the women sitting around him before letting his gaze stop on his son, who took his dad's silence as his cue to speak once again.

"What's the matter, Dad? Struck dumb over there?" The women fought hard to hold in their laughter.

"Oh, come on, Sweetie, don't be silly. I bet your dad was his school's valedictorian," Lucille joined her son in the teasing. The three women and Troy all shared a look before speaking in unison.

"NAH!"

Jack let his fork drop to his plate in frustration. "Okay, is this the end of the teasing?"

"No!" Troy said on behalf of the women. Everyone at the table laughed, as Troy leaned down to pick up the dictionary that his girlfriend had loaned him off the floor. "Hey, Dad, just so you understand what this all means for Gabriella, may I read something to you?"

Not knowing what his son had up his sleeve, and slightly frightened, he conceded. "Go ahead, Son."

Troy made a show of over exaggeratingly clearing his throat before he continued. "Webster's defines 'valedictorian' as: the student with the best grades who delivers the valedictory at graduation."

"Thank you, Son. I'll remember the love that I've been shown here tonight when the topic of Gabriella possibly coming with us to visit Nana this summer is brought up again."

"But Dad, I don't think you realize-"

"Troy, stop! Leave Coach alone!" Gabriella playfully reprimanded her boyfriend, coming to the rescue of Jack Bolton.

"Thank you, Gabriella. I knew I liked you for a reason." The group laughed at his last comment, before Jack turned serious once again. "On a more serious note, Gabriella, I'd like to take a moment and propose a toast on your behalf." He waited until the group raised their glasses before he continued. "Sweetie, I watched you come into this school a year and a half ago and totally turn it upside down- in a good way. Lucille and I watched as you transformed our son as well, and I can't tell you how happy we are that he has you in his life. I hope that he keeps you around for awhile, but that's beside that point here tonight. I can't even begin to tell you how proud we are of you. First Stanford, then this. You have done amazing things at East High and I know you're about to do amazing things at Stanford as well. You're about to take the world by storm, and I can't wait to hear about all the remarkable things that are in store for you. Congratulations, Sweetheart. On behalf of your mom, we love you very much and are so proud of you."

Gabriella swiped at the tears that were threatening to fall from her wet eyes, as Troy squeezed the hand he had taken in his about halfway through his father's speech. She stood from her seat and walked around the table until she stood behind Jack, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. She finally was able to find her voice and it cracked as she spoke. "Thank you, Coach. That means a lot," she said, giving him a tight hug and leaning in to peck at his cheek, causing him to blush slightly. He reached up and patted her arm with his hand giving her a smile over his shoulder.

"You're welcome. Now, go sit down and eat before I take back everything I just said about you. I mean, we've got brownies waiting on us, but your mom will tell us 'not until you eat all of your dinner', so go eat!"

The group ate their meal with continual teasing- mostly Troy and Jack back and forth with each other- the adults asking Gabriella questions about her new valedictorian status, and of course, talk about college. Questions were posed to Gabriella about Stanford, which she answered, and also to Troy about his decision. It was revealed that he still hadn't made his final decision and that he was still waiting to hear from one other school. When everyone had finished eating, the teenagers were excused and were told by the adults that they would clean up, giving them a few more minutes of alone time together. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and the two turned to leave the room, only to turn back around to face the trio of parents when they heard Jack's voice.

"Hey, kids?"

"Yes, sir?" Troy said.

"Don't forget the rule if you go upstairs," he said.

"Door open. We know, Dad."

"Okay. We'll call you when we're done." Once the two of them had left the room, Maria started a pot of coffee while Lucille cleaned off the table and Jack rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

"Maria, she really is something else," Lucille commented.

"Thank you," Maria said softly, a slight hint of sadness in her voice.

Lucille immediately took note in the change in demeanor in Maria and gathered up two coffee cups filled almost to the brim and led her back to the table. "Here, let's sit." As the two ladies sat down, Jack shut off the water at the sink and began to make himself a cup of coffee.

"You must be very proud of the way she's turned out," Lucille began.

"I am. I just can't help but wish that Roberto was here to see how she's turned out."

"He doesn't have to physically be here to see the fantastic job you've done in raising her, Maria. You know that," Jack said as he came and joined the two ladies at the table.

"I know. It's just she's grown up way too fast. I don't know if I'm ready. She looks just him. Have I ever shown you two a picture?" She stood up and crossed into the living room, picking up a picture off the corner table and bringing it back to show the Bolton's. They had seen it several times on previous visits to the Montez house, but still took another look. Every time they saw it, it amazed them how much the young lady who had stolen their son's heart looked like the man in the photograph. Maria's sigh broke the silence that had settled around the table.

"There's something that's about to be revealed regarding Stanford within the next few days that I think you two should know about. Gabriella says she's telling Troy about it this weekend, but I think I'm going to go ahead and tell you two so that you can be on alert and help him deal with it."

Lucille reached out and touched Maria's hand in a comforting gesture, encouraging her to continue. "Gabriella was accepted into the Stanford Freshman Honor's Program. It's basically a program that allows only a select few incoming freshman to come in early and start taking classes. By the time the semester starts in the Fall, that group will already have a full semester of classes under their belt."

"That's great news!" Lucille gushed. The amount of pride she felt for her son's girlfriend grew everyday.

"It is great news, Maria. But Lucille, there's apparently a bit of bad news that comes with it. Am I right, Maria?"

Maria nodded her confirmation and took a deep breath before continuing. "It's not just a summer program. She has to be there a week from this Monday, which means she'll miss the prom and graduation. We have talked about this and Gabriella- on her own- made a decision of how to deal with both events. She will go for a week and a half, come back for prom, return to Stanford for another two weeks, then come back again for graduation, and return two days later."

"Wow," Lucille breathed out. "That's a lot of traveling for her to do in such a short amount of time."

"I'm guessing since Lucille and I didn't know this before now, then that must mean that Troy doesn't know yet. I'm I correct?"

"Gabriella insists that she'll tell him this weekend. I asked her before you two got here why she hasn't told him yet and she says she's scared. Bottom line is, this is not going to be easy news for Troy. I just wanted to give you two a heads up because it could very well be a difficult time for the two of them."

"Thank you for telling us," Jack said.

Troy and Gabriella had been upstairs for several minutes, laying on her bed with their legs intertwined together, involved in an intense make out session when she reluctantly pulled away without warning.

"Babe…" Troy whined, disappointment evident in his voice. "Why'd you stop?" He whined even more when Gabriella moved to sit up. He tightened his grip around her waist, intent on keeping her on the bed with him.

"First of all, because it is no longer just my Mom that could walk in on us like earlier. Secondly, because we don't need to get too involved in something like we did this afternoon when your parents will call us down any minute now. And thirdly, I thought you just might want a little bit of help on your Pre-Calculus before tomorrow?"

After hearing his girlfriend's convincing argument, Troy reluctantly let her go get her backpack while he reached down and grabbed his own. The two of them had just gotten into a math rhythm when their concentration was interrupted by the sounds of their parents' voices calling their names.

"Troy, we need to get going," his mom called up the stairs at the young pair. "It's getting late and I'm sure you and Gabriella both still have homework."

"Okay, Mom. We'll be down in a minute." Troy gathered up his books- making sure he picked up his package from that afternoon and stuffing it in his backpack- and flung his bag over his shoulder. He reached out to take Gabriella's hand in his own and took the lead as the pair made their way downstairs. When they reached the front door, Troy's parents gave Maria a hug and thanked her for dinner. Lucille reached for Gabriella next and wrapped her arms around the young lady's shoulders.

"We're so very proud of you, Sweetheart. Congratulations on everything you have accomplished," she told her lovingly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Bolton."

Jack stepped up next, wrapping her in his arms and giving her his own tight squeeze. "I know Ricardo would have been bragging about you to everyone he knows."

Gabriella sniffled at the mention of her beloved father before answering Troy's dad. "Thank you, Coach."

"Troy, your father and I are going. We'll see you at home in ten minutes?" Lucille told him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said as his parents walked out the door. He then turned to face Maria, giving her his own hug. "Thank you for dinner and for the brownies. As always, it was very good."

"You're welcome, Troy. I'll see you soon," she told him as he and Gabriella walked out front. The two of them quickly approached his truck and Troy opened the door, tossing his backpack inside then leaned against the door frame, pulling Gabriella into his arms. He tightly held onto her and began to run his fingers through her long dark curls. The two of them shared a loving kiss and when Troy tried to snake his tongue past her lips, she shook her head and pulled away.

"Troy, you'd better go. You've got five minutes to make it home."

"Okay, fine. You win- this time. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

"I love you, Gabriella," he said.

"I love you, too, Troy," she responded. "Very much." She gave him a small smile and stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss on his cheek. "Now go."

With a smile in her direction and a quick kiss to her lips once more, he climbed in his truck behind the steering wheel and cranked it up. Gabriella turned and walked to the door and stood there as she watched him walk away. She was still standing in the doorway when she felt Maria come and stand beside her.

"Your father is very proud of you, Mija. And so am I."

"Thank you, Mami. I love you." She and Maria shared a hug, walked inside, and shut the door behind them. Gabriella walked up the stairs to her bedroom and sat down at her desk to complete her own homework. She had been working for ten minutes before she put her pen down, walked to her dresser, and picked up the framed photograph she had of her father.

"I love him, Daddy." She paused, as if she were listening to her father's response. "Oh, stop! I don't want to hear it!" she reprimanded the picture she held in her hands. "You would have liked him and you know it!" With a small smile on her face, Gabriella kissed her fingers and gently touched the glass of the frame before setting it back down in its rightful place and going back to her desk to finish her homework for the next day.

_Don't forget... go read "Brownie Points" by adcgordon! Believe me... you want to! ;-P_


End file.
